Bluetooth headphones connect but have no audio in Windows 11
Environment
Windows 11 laptop with Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones.
What happens
The headset shows as connected, but no Bluetooth output device appears in sound settings.
What I have tried
Removed and paired the headset again and installed the latest OEM Bluetooth driver.
I would appreciate advice on how to identify the root cause without risking existing data or configuration.
Verified community troubleshooting
The important clue is that the problem only appears under the conditions you described.
Likely cause: The Bluetooth audio services are disabled or their device endpoints were not rebuilt.
What I would try: Enable Bluetooth Audio Gateway and Support services, remove the device endpoints in Device Manager and pair the headset again.
Avoid applying several fixes at once, otherwise it will be difficult to know which one mattered.
I can reproduce it consistently, so I should be able to confirm whether this solves the root cause.
Incident analysis
Most likely causes
Summary
Suggested Fixes
Continue troubleshooting
Related troubles
Matched from the title, description and tags
- Windows27% match
Windows 11 selects hands-free profile for Bluetooth headset; apps play no high-quality audio
Open0 answers - Audio & Video22% match
USB DAC produces audio dropouts and crackling when connected through a USB 3.0 bus-powered hub under CPU load on Linux laptop
Open0 answers - Hardware21% match
Windows 11: Bluetooth keyboard sends duplicated characters only while a bus-powered USB 3.0 external SSD is connected to the same hub
Open0 answers - macOS21% match
Audio dropouts with external USB interface when connected through Thunderbolt dock while laptop is charging
Open0 answers